Clark is the AP Player of the Year
Caitlin Clark is capping her illustrious college career with another record-breaking season and another set of prestigious awards.
The star guard from Iowa was honored Thursday as The Associated Press Player of the Year in women's basketball for the second consecutive year.
Clark received 35 votes from the 36-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. Cameron Brink of Stanford received the other vote. Voting was done before March Madness began.
The 22-year-old Clark is the sixth player to win the award more than once and fifth to do it in consecutive seasons.
The NCAA Division I career scoring leader set numerous records while helping Iowa reach the Final Four for a second consecutive season. A semifinal matchup with UConn awaits on Friday night in Cleveland.
Clark's play with her logodepth 3-pointers and dazzling passes has captured the hearts of fans who showed up by the thousands wearing her No. 22 jersey whether Iowa was at home or on the road all season.
SOUTH CAROLINA'S STALEY IS THE AP COACH OF THE YEAR FOR THE 2ND TIME >> Dawn Staley did a masterful job guiding a young South Carolina team back to the Final Four with an undefeated record for the second straight season.
Staley was honored Thursday as The Associated Press women's college basketball Coach of the Year for the second time. She received 27 votes from the 35-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. She also won the award in 2020.
Lindsay Gottlieb of Southern California, Felisha Legette-Jack of Syracuse and Scott Rueck of Oregon State tied for second with two votes each. Voting was done before the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina faces North Carolina State on Friday night in a national semifinal and is the overwhelming favorite to win its second title in three years and third overall, all since 2017.
POLICE SAY USE OF RACIAL SLUR CLEARLY AUDIBLE AS THEY INVESTIGATE RACIST INCIDENTS TOWARD UTAH
TEAM >> Police investigating racist incidents directed toward the Utah women's basketball team when they were near their Idaho hotel while in town last month for the NCAA Tournament say they've found an audio recording in which the use of a racial slur was clearly audible.
The Coeur d'Alene Police Department said in a Facebook post that it is working to determine the “context and conduct” associated with the slur's use to determine if there was a violation of law. Police said they are still reviewing evidence from the March 21 incidents, but it appears that a racial slur was used more than once.
NHL
SHARKS SIGN STAR COLLEGE FORWARD GRAF TO A 3-YEAR CONTRACT
>> The San Jose Sharks have signed undrafted free agent Collin Graf, a star college forward, to a three-year contract.
The team announced the deal on Thursday. It begins immediately for the rest of the 2023-24 season and will last for two additional seasons.
The 21-year-old Graf led Quinnipiac in scoring with 49 points and 22 goals this season and was named ECAC Player of the Year and the conference's top defensive forward.
Men's basketball
USC HIRES MUSSELMAN
AS MEN'S COACH >> Eric Musselman was hired as Southern California men's basketball coach on Thursday, the first major hire by new athletic director Jennifer Cohen.
He replaces Andy Enfield, who left for the same job at Southern Methodist on Monday.
The 59-year-old Musselman will be introduced at a news conference on Friday at Galen Center.
The Trojans will move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten next season.
NBA
RANDLE NEEDS SURGERY, WILL MISS THE REST OF KNICKS' SEASON >> Julius Randle needs right shoulder surgery and will miss the rest of the season, a crushing blow for a New York Knicks team that was surging before the All-Star forward was hurt in January.
The Knicks said Thursday that Randle would be re-evaluated in five months, meaning it's unclear if he will even be ready for the start of next season.
But they had focused on their possibilities for this season when Randle dislocated his shoulder Jan. 27 in a victory over the Miami Heat. The Knicks ended up 14-2 that month, tied for the second-most wins in franchise history in a month.
MLB
MARLINS RHP PÉREZ TO
MISS 2024 SEASON >> Marlins right-hander Eury Pérez will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2024 season, the team announced Thursday.
Pérez had previously been diagnosed with mild inflammation after experiencing
discomfort in his right elbow late in the spring. Pérez made four spring training appearances but opened the season on the injured list. The 20-yearold Pérez debuted last May as Miami's youngest starting pitcher. Over his first 11 major league starts, he had a 5-3 record with a 2.36 ERA and 61 strikeouts.
Tennis
SAUDI ARABIA WILL HOST THE WOMEN'S TENNIS WTA FINALS FOR THE NEXT
THREE YEARS >> Saudi Arabia will host the WTA Finals as part of a three-year deal that will increase the prize money for this November's season-ending championship to a record $15.25 million, a 70% increase from 2023.
The event for the top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams will be held in Riyadh from 2024-26, part of a recent wave of investment by the kingdom in tennis and various sports, despite questions about LGBTQ+ and women's rights there raised by Hall of Famers Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and others.